Life Is Beautiful With You
by FlightlessLeaf
Summary: Drabbles revolving around Levi and Petra in their past, present and possible futures.
1. Unexpected Desires

_**Oh God, I'm on a roll. How many fics can one person write in a few days?**_

_**Hey peeps! This is a new fic that would basically include drabbles revolving around Levi and Petra. There will be AUs, Canons and everything of the sort I won't be updating all the time, just whenever I have that spurt of inspiration to do a Rivetra, or any fic where I can make the coupling them, so they might not be long, or might be very long, a complete fluctuation. I might try a 50 chapter one, but it will depend on how it goes, if you know what I mean -_-**_

_**I will post the rating of each chapter, so you will all be warned before reading anything you may or may not be comfortable with. If anyone has any ideas, don't hesitate to say in a review what a good one-shot would be, I'm always open to new ideas XD**_

_**This is definitely one of my favourite pairings, and I couldn't just NOT do something for them**_

_**Enjoy this first little chapter**_

* * *

**Rating: T**

**Unexpected Desires: Ten moments in which Levi slowly falls in love with Petra Ral.**

* * *

**Surprise**

* * *

The first time Levi sees Petra Ral, she is part of the new recruits for the Recon Corps. Short—shorter than him, even—with cropped auburn hair and shining brown eyes, she is quite unimpressive at first glance. But her smile is infectious, her aura one that attracts people to her. She is caring, she is soft, she is generous, she is innocent, _oh how innocent._

Petra Ral is a glimmering light of happiness in the dull lives of those in the Corps, and Levi finds it a waste. He wants to tell her she should leave before it is too late, because he dislikes unnecessary deaths, and he knows, _feels it in his bones, _that she will die on her first expedition.

But when the expedition comes and happens, he is surprised to see her fight. She is brave, filled with a fire so bright he cannot quite believe she is the one that spreads the happy virus among her comrades. And when the expedition is over, and they are back in the Walls, he sees her on her horse as they ride in the streets.

She might not be as weak as he first thought, he realizes.

* * *

**Casual**

* * *

In training, she is fierce. Physically, she is smaller than the others, but her determination alone is enough to overcome the difficulties of the 3D gear and even tackle down other trainees in mock fights. He wonders how old she is, and guesses she is around sixteen.

One day, he is sitting under the shade, overlooking the trainees during their break under the hot sun, where they still insist to continue defence training. And it is then that she plops down next to him, holding two bottles of what he assumes is water. She hands him one, and after giving her a flat look, he takes it wordlessly, if not to be rude.

She is sweating, breathing heavily from practise, but the grin on her face is clear as day.

'How's your day, Captain?' she asks casually, sparing him a side glance.

He finds her much too confrontational, and has the good mind to tell her to fuck off, but he doesn't. He understands in a moment of realization that this was how she won the hearts of those around her.

'Watching rookies train is a fucking bore,' he tells her roughly, taking in a mouthful of water.

Her left brow quirked up, humoured. 'You should teach us, we could learn a lot from you. Might keep you a little busy, don't you think?' she rests the bottle against her head, watching his expression.

He scoffs, putting his bottle down by his feet. 'Break's almost over, soldier. Go train.' He orders.

She stretches out a hand instead, 'I'm Petra. Petra Ral.'

_I know, _he thinks absentmindedly, and he can't remember how he ever found out her name. He stares at her hand pointedly, and when she realizes he isn't going to return the gesture, she clicks her tongue and gets to her feet, saluting him.

'As you say, Captain.' She says cheerfully, and turns to leave.

For the rest of the afternoon, he continues to watch her, and finds her to be more capable than she originally appeared.

On her third and fourth expedition, she kills six titans, and it is then that he decides he is more than impressed with Petra Ral.

Erwin Smith tells him to choose his squad only a few months afterwards, and after listing a few names, he only stares at the paper for a moment in contemplation before scribbling down her name as well.

* * *

**Coffee**

* * *

She is an amazing conversationalist, he notes, as she makes small talk with him the first morning she is part of his squad. They are in the kitchen, the only ones awake, and she makes him coffee. He decides he likes the taste very much, in contrast to the black plain he usually preferred.

However, when she says, 'I don't mean to pry, Captain, but how old are you?' he decides promptly that she passed the line. But the look in her eye is innocent, simply curious, and makes him think again about his rude response.

'How old are you?' he asks instead.

She grins, eyebrows furrowing in amusement, 'if I say, would you?'

He nods without really thinking.

'Eighteen,' she answers, and he averts his gaze elsewhere. Still young, he thinks. _Too young._

'Your turn, Captain,' she insists.

'Shut up, Ral.'

* * *

**Fear**

* * *

He had been afraid. _Shit,_ he had been so afraid. He could still remember the way the Titan grabbed the wire of Petra's 3D gear, the image clear in his mind. Just the thought of what might have happened if Erd wasn't there to cut her wire of her gear made his chest tighten in a way he knew it really shouldn't.

The night after the expedition, Petra finds him on the roof, and sits down next to him, handing him a bottle like the first time they spoke. He ignores it, refusing to glance her way. He didn't want to see her right now, when the fear of losing her was still so raw.

'Are you mad at me?' she asks softly, cocking her head to the side to stare at him,

'No.'

'Then why do you look like that?'

He doesn't respond, and she bumps against him gently. 'Hey, look at me, Captain.'

'Don't call me that,' he says suddenly. 'Not like this.'

He doesn't know why it bothers him so much. He hates the sound of the word on her tongue. He _despises _it, because she had somehow crawled into his heart and made a space for herself there, and it changed their relationship enough that he didn't want to hear her call him that anymore.

'Okay. Levi, will you look at me?'

He really doesn't want to, but in the end, he does, only slightly.

'I should have been more careful. I know your upset, and I'm sorry.'

'I'm not upset,' he stated indignantly

'Then you're angry.'

'I'm not,' he said through gritted teeth.

She sighs, and does the one thing that catches him so off guard; all he can do is freeze. She leans her head against his shoulder and sighs.

'I'll be more careful next time. I'm really sorry I worried you.'

He wants to say he wasn't worried, but his jaw is wired shut, unable to move, so he just lets it go.

* * *

**Kiss**

* * *

He didn't quite understand why he did it. Maybe it was the glass of whisky he drank, or the pent up sexual tension between them all these months. Whatever it was, it had him pushing Petra up against the wall of his office late one night, kissing her in a hot fiery passion. The moment he had her shoved against the hard surface, he knew he was going to wake up the next morning and pretend it never happened. But when Petra returned the kiss, winding her arms around his neck to pull him closer and kiss him in equally wild abandon, he decides against the idea. He would like to do it more often, he thinks.

* * *

**Pain**

* * *

The first time they make love, he is beyond surprised that it is her first. She is an attractive woman with plenty to offer; it is only understandable that she has been intimate with a person before—unlike he who refused to participate in such activities with strangers. So when he sees her face scrunched up in pain as he enters her, he kisses her brow, squeezing her fingers encouragingly.

'Just tell me when you're ready.'

She looks up at him trustingly, eyes filled with a tender kind of love. He strokes her cheek and rests his forehead against hers. 'We'll be each other's firsts.' He says, and when the realization dawns on her, she smiles and leans forward to kiss him.

* * *

**Past**

* * *

'Was it hard?' she asks him one night as they lay together in his bed, completely bare. She is tracing patterns on his chest, her head tucked under his chin. He knows what she is referring to, and can't find the words to answer.

'It's okay,' she says quietly, 'if you don't want to talk about it. Everyone has a past they want to hide.'

He shifts, bringing her closer to him. 'One day.' He promises, and feels her smile against his skin.

'One day,' she repeats.

* * *

**Beautiful**

* * *

It is times like these that made him grit his teeth in an attempt to control his temper, and clench his fists to keep them occupied.

'Why do you look so stiff?' Petra asks him as they walk down the streets within Wall Sina.

'Nothing,' he answers rigidly, but his stare follows a young man who watches Petra with a knowing smile.

Neither of them wore their uniform, since it was their day off and Petra insisted they go for a walk in the city. But when he didn't wear his attire, people tended to look down on him. His height isn't one of his strongest points, and proud, arrogant men like the ones in Sina tended to look at Petra without reserve, unafraid of what Levi might do.

_They should be afraid, _he thinks, and cracks his knuckles as he glares at a man who stares at Petra, then at him, and still refuses to look away.

'Levi, relax,' Petra loosens his hand and entwins their fingers together. 'Why do you look like that? Is something wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong,' he repeats, and after giving him an odd look, she decides to let it go.

They shouldn't be staring, they should keep their eyes to themselves, is Levi's advice to men who stared at Petra like she was a noble prize. But he figures it's his fault for choosing a girlfriend as attractive as she and not be able to control his jealousy.

He looks to his side where Petra looks through the shop windows obliviously.

_Why do you have to be so fucking beautiful? _Is his final thought before catching a glimpse of one more pervert who is walking towards them. The last of his patience snaps, and without holding back, he lets go of Petra's hand and flings himself towards the guy. Tightening his fist, he drivesit straight into the man's nose.

* * *

**Expedition**

* * *

'Why are you looking at me like that?' He asks, looking up from his papers to Petra who stood in the doorway of his office. It is the night before their new expedition, and she should be asleep, getting some rest.

She bites her bottom lip. 'I've got something to say.'

'Then say it.'

Stepping inside, she closes the door behind her, and it is just them two. Petra remains silent for a moment, looking as though she was ready to say what she needed to before deciding against it.

He raises a brow. 'I don't have all day. This paperwork is needed on Erwin's desk tomorrow, before we leave.' He says impatiently.

Taking in a deep breath, Petra closes her eyes and blurts quickly, '_IthinkIampregnant_.'

He opened his mouth to ask what the fuck she just said, but then it sinks in, and his pen drops to his desk in a deafening _clank._

A moment of silence passes between them, and when Petra finally opens her eyes, she can't decide if the look on Levi's face expressed his happiness or his shock. Maybe both?

'You aren't going tomorrow,' is what he says, and before she can attempt to argue that she isn't even _certain_, he leans back in his chair adding, 'and that's fucking final.'

* * *

**Life**

* * *

She misses out on a total of three expeditions during her pregnancy. After her fourth month, Levi sends her to her father's house, because it is where she would be most comfortable to give birth, and while he is away on expeditions, he doesn't need to worry about whether she was alone. It doesn't make him worry any less, and he comes and visits whenever his time permits.

It is three days before the third expedition that he is at the Rals' house, making Petra coffee in the kitchen as she sits at the dining table. Her father is out at work, leaving them alone for the time being.

'This expedition might take a while,' he informs, setting the tea cup in front of her. She wraps her hands around it, warming them up. 'As long as you're back before two weeks. You don't want to miss out on the birth.' She smiles, tone lilting, and he bends down in front of her chair, taking one hand to squeeze it. 'That Eren brat is more trouble than he's worth. I almost don't want to go, since there's a possibility I won't be back in time.'

She sighs, leaning forward and kissing his temple. 'The baby will wait. He'll be patient enough to wait for his father.'

'It's a girl,' he tells her flatly, and she rolls her eyes. 'I'm the mother, and I say it's a boy.'

'It's a girl.' He repeats, refusing to believe anything else.

Petra grins, 'then come back in time for our baby girl.'

Levi rests a hand on her swelling stomach, remembering all the times he felt his child kick against his palm. 'I will.'

* * *

He's back in nine days. He's weary. They've lost many soldiers, and came out with little success with the Female Titan, but he's proud of himself for returning in record time.

But the moment they are back at the mansion, a young soldier runs up to him, panting with flushed cheeks.

'Captain,' she says breathlessly, like she'd sprinted a long way.

'What is it?' he couldn't care less about what she had to say, but when she speaks, his body seizes up.

'It's Petra Ral, Captain. She went into labour this morning and Commander Smith told me to alert you as soon as he heard you returned.'

Cursing under his breath, Levi got back onto his horse, getting ready to ride into Wall Rose.

The baby isn't due for another week.

* * *

Hours later, when he reaches the hospital she is in, and finds her room, he doesn't hesitate to open the door without knocking. He steps in without thinking, and almost regrets it.

Inside, the room is dimly lit, and Petra lay in the hospital bed with her father in the seat beside it. His gaze falls on her, assessing her carefully. She looks terrible. Her hair is an absolute mess, and dark bags are visible under her eyes. She looks tired, but her brown orbs are full of light, hope and happiness.

'Shhh,' she says softly, and that is when he notices the bundle of blankets in her arms. Stepping forward, he sits in the seat beside her bed. The baby, _his child, _is suckling on its mother's breast, eyes sealed shut.

He can't take his eyes off it, as though in a trance, and when he raises his hand, Petra takes it and rests his palm on the baby's head.

'You were right,' she whispers, 'it's a girl.'

His eyes snap up to meet hers, and he can't stop the slow smile that his lips formsinto. 'I knew it.' He says, almost proudly.

He suddenly feels dirty. He still wore his uniform. He is covered in dirt, and his jacket iss smeared with the hint of blood, so he removes it and puts it aside, not wanting to see his daughter for the first time in such things.

Mr Ral stands up, 'I'll be outside,' he says, and Levi nods in his direction, grateful. Mr Ral smiles warmly in return.

After a while, the child finally stops suckling, and Petra fixes her shirt before wrapping the little girl up and holding her to her chest. She sighs. 'I was thinking of naming her Patience. She obviously doesn't have the trait if she couldn't even wait for her father to come. Maybe it'll help her in the future.'

He nods in agreement. 'I'll teach the little runt a lesson when she grows up a little.' His expression changes into one of remorse. 'I'm sorry, Petra. I should have been faster.'

She shakes her head. 'You came on time.' And then she shuffles to the side of her bed. 'Come, let's sleep together.'

He hesitates. 'You need to rest.'

She rolls her eyes. 'I'll rest better when you're here. Let's have our first nap together, as a family.'

'I'm covered in shit.' He excuses, but he can't deny that he wants to.

'We all are. Just come here.'

After a moment, he complies, and as they lay together, with Patience between them, Levi has never felt happier. It doesn't matter that the expedition didn't go the way it was supposed to. It never had before.

'I love you Petra,' he murmurs against her hair, and can sense her smile.

'I know,' he hears her say; 'I love you, too.'

So he falls asleep with his future in his arms.

* * *

_**Hopefully you guys liked it, since it took forever to write. It wasn't meant t**__**o be this long, just a couple 100 words, but here is the end product at 2,900 words, and I hope you guys enjoyed it.**_

_**As you can see, I altered the end so Petra doesn't end up going on that expedition and dying, meaning the rest of the squad didn't die either, hehe **_

_**If you guys have any ideas for future chapters, drop in a word and tell me what you think **_

_**Love & Respect xoxo**_


	2. Wishful Thinking

**Rating: T**

**Wishful Thinking**

* * *

She visits him at night often.

He'll be in his office, working on documents and papers when she appears in his doorway, holding two cups of coffee. And he'd welcome her in, and they'd drink together, sometimes in comfortable silences, and sometimes through casual small talk.

Sometimes, he'd kiss her, or she'd coax him into bed because he's worked too much, and she'd run her fingers through his hair. He'd fall asleep on her chest, her humming the last thing he'd hear. And then, in the mornings, he'd wake up alone, but when he walks into the kitchen, she's already gotten another coffee ready for him.

When the little runt under the name of Eren comes into their lives, it happens more frequently, and they'd be in bed, Levi complaining about the brat's responsibilities while Petra tells him to calm down. It's nice, he thinks, no matter how troublesome.

But then, they go on the expeditions, and his mind is always on her, whether she's okay, whether she's even _alive, _let alone injured. And at the end of the day, when he sees her, completely healthy and smiling, he wants to pull her into a hug and tell her, thank you for staying alive. Because Levi has lost too much, and she's a glimmering hope of light in the dull void of his wretched life that he can't really afford to lose.

'I wonder what would happen,' he murmured one night as they lay together in his bed, fingers entwined.

'What?' she asked softly.

'If we didn't meet like this. If we lived in a completely different life, without worries like Titans and soldiers and death. If we just passed each other on the street, and I found you attractive, so I stretched out my hand to you and said, 'Hi, I'm Levi.''

She smiles at him, raising her free hand to stroke his cheek. 'That would be simple and happy, wouldn't it?' she agreed. 'But I don't regret meeting you like this, no matter how prickly and rude you are.'

He fights the urge to roll his eyes.

* * *

A month later, they go on the expedition and come across the Female Titan. And Levi loses everybody dear to him.

He still remembers what he said to Eren.

_I don't know which option you should choose. I could never advise you on that...no matter what kind of wisdom dictates you, the option you pick, no one will be able to tell if it's right or wrong until you arrive to some sort of outcome from your choice...The only thing we're allowed to do is to believe that we won't regret the choice we made._

He doesn't hold it against Eren, would rather not. But the fact that Petra is now gone, dead, is yet to sink in.

He thinks he still hears her voice, smells her coffee, feels her lay beside him at night. And maybe it really is her, he isn't sure. All he knows is that when she and his squad died, a part of him went with them, and it would never really come back.

But he trudges on, because he is humanity's strongest, and he has to protect them against the Titans. It's what his squad would have wanted—it's what Petra would have wanted.

* * *

_**2014**_

* * *

He's late. He's late to his first job interview at a law firm, and he's _angry._

Throwing away the foam cup of coffee that tasted like shit anyway, he rushed into the firm building, ignoring the elevator as he ran up the stairs. But when he reaches the level he is supposed to, and looks at his wristwatch, he knows he is already too late.

This firm is constantly busy, interviews are tight and once you miss it, you won't get a second shot. His watch says 2:43, and the interview was at half past two. And seeing the long line if people waiting for their turn, and catching sight of a man who just stepped into the interview room, Levi knows he lost his chance.

_Fuck it, _he thinks, and trudges back down the stairs, walking out of the building. _Their loss._

And then he sees it. A young woman, perhaps still in university, sitting on a bus stop bench on the other side of the road. Her hair is short, its auburn tresses looking golden under the sunlight. She is holding a cup of coffee, looking down at a textbook. When she looks up, he finds her beautiful. Innocent, sweet and purely lovely. And although it is just a first look impression, he finds his feet walking across the road.

Once he approaches the bench, he sits down beside her. She looks up, smiling brightly, and before she can look back down at her textbook, he stretches out his hand.

'Hi,' he said smoothly, 'I'm Levi.'

She looks at his outstretched hand and her smile widens as she puts her coffee down and shakes it with her own. Her skin is warm, and it makes his heart beat fast.

'Hi, I'm Petra.'

* * *

_**Thank you Anon, for your suggestion, I've definitely put it down for the list of stuff I'm going to write for this. I just didn't do it in this chapter because two baby chapters back to back would be repetitive, but I'm going to write that idea in the next few chapters; I really loved the idea!**_

_**Hope youse enjoy this. It's short and sweet XD**_


	3. Unintended Meeting

**This one's a modern AU**

* * *

**Rating: K**

* * *

**Unintended Meeting**

* * *

'Are you here?' Hanji's asked on the phone.

'Yeah I am, what room are you guys in?' I asked, eyeing the reception ahead.

'We're on floor 5, room 203, Inpatient section,' she answered.

'I'll be up there in a second.'

'Levi.'

'Yeah.'

'Don't bother to bring flowers, the room is packed as it is.'

I snorted. 'Didn't plan to. I'm not wasting money on Erwin.' I hung up on the phone and headed to the nearest elevator, pressing the 'up' button. When it arrived, I stepped into an empty compartment, but just as the doors were about the close, a hand flashed out of nowhere and they reopened. A young woman, dressed in simple jeans and jumper huffed in relief.

'Thank goodness,' she mumbled as she stepped in, and the doors closed behind her.

Pressing the Floor 5, I watched her press for Floor 7. Feeling satisfied that I would reach my floor before her I leaned against the handrails, watching my reflection in the side mirrors of the compartment. For a moment, I looked up at the numbers that flashed above the buttons.

Floor 2

Floor 3

And then it froze.

The elevator stopped with a jerk, and the young woman stumbled slightly, caught momentarily off guard. Frowning, I pressed the floor number again, but then the bright lights turned off and we were left in dim light.

We were stuck.

'Fuck this,' I muttered, reaching out to the emergency button and pressing it harshly before my hand fell back to my side.

'That's convenient,' the woman commented wryly, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She had an annoyed expression plastered on her face, and it all too clearly explained my feelings.

Pulling out my phone, I dialled in Hanji's number and held it to my ear. It rang once before she picked up.

'You got lost, didn't you?' was the first thing she said.

'No. The elevator stopped and I'm stuck. Bring your ass out here and call maintenance.' I said in a clipped tone.

Hanji burst into laughter on the other line loudly enough for me to keep the phone away at a safe distance. The woman stared at me, eyebrow quirked in amusement, clearly hearing the cackles.

'Just hurry up,' I said and ended the call, stuffing the phone back into my pocket and leaning against the wall. The young woman chose to sit on the floor. Knees pulled up with her arms resting on them, she sighed.

I don't know how long it we were there; probably a good ten minutes before I got frustrated and slid to the ground, assuming the same position and resting my head against the wall, eyes closed. The silence wasn't much, only our breathing audible to our ears. Until the woman moved and unzipped her messenger bag, rummaging through it before taking out something plastic. I didn't bother checking what it was, not until she said, 'you want one?'

Opening my eyes, my gaze fell on her hand, where she held out a bag of snake lollies.

I raised a brow at her, and she urged me. 'Do you want it or not?'

'No.'

'Then say so,' she retracted her hand, pulling out a snake and biting into it. For the first time since we entered the elevator, I studied her. She was short, surprisingly so, especially since she appeared shorter than me when she entered. She had a lithe figure, small hands and a youthful face. In the dim light, her auburn hair appeared brown, but her eyes had a deep colour of chocolate. She couldn't be too young, perhaps in her early twenties. It was only her figure that made anyone assume she was anything less.

Noticing my stare, she stopped chewing, swallowing the last of a red snake. 'I'm Petra,' she said, 'what's your name?'

She had some nerve, but her tone was casual, unthreatening.

'Levi.'

She nodded. 'Who are you here to see?'

'Curiosity killed the cat,' I remarked, not bothering to mask my annoyance.

She rolled her eyes, catching me off guard. What a daring, brave woman.

'I was making conversation, since we're bored. Forgive my attempts to humour myself.' She said sarcastically, eyeing me carefully. She reached out the snakes bag again, and I took one this time out of boredom.

We sat for another good fifteen minutes, hearing maintenance going on outside on the other side of door. Receiving a message from Hanji saying they were working on the problem, I was certain we'd be out soon. But half an hour later, we still sat in the dimness, eating snakes until the sound of chewing got too aggravating.

'I'm here to see a commander. He got injured while on duty.' I said finally.

Petra looked up, surprised. 'You're a soldier?' she inquired, sounding incredulous.

'Ex-soldier,' I responded grudgingly.

She shook her head, amazed. 'That's so cool. First time I've met one. Nice to meet you,' she flashed a sheepish grin, and I nodded tersely, focusing on the snake as I chewed it slowly.

'So what do you do now?'

'I'm at the police academy.'

'Living the dangerous life, I see,' she mused.

'Better than sitting behind a desk,' I pointed out, and she nodded after a moment.

I reached for another snake. 'What do you do for a living?'

'Studying to be a psychologist.'

'Impressive.'

'Thanks.'

Silence again until a banging noise came from somewhere above. 'Levi!' a muffled voice called, shrilling. 'Wait a little longer; we're almost done, okay?'

Hanji.

'Girlfriend?' Petra guessed.

If I had the energy I'd choke on the snake, but I snorted instead. 'Old colleague.'

She laughed wholeheartedly, and the melodious sound surprised me. 'She sounds pretty wild to be a friend of yours.'

'A result of unfortunate circumstances,' I informed dryly, and decided to change the subject. The current one seemed to amuse her a little too much.

'So what are you here for?'

She grinned. 'A friend gave birth yesterday, so I came for a visit.' She paused for a moment, as though thinking of something. 'Hey,' she said, somewhat uncertainly.

I waited for her to continue.

'Can I have your number?'

I smirked. 'Find me attractive?'

She laughed again. 'Well, that's not the reason. Just thought I'd have good connections with an ex-soldier, future police, that sort of thing. But you are attractive,' she added the last part as an afterthought.

Before I could reply, the lights flashed on again, almost blinding me as I squinted, and then the elevator went back into movement. Taking out a piece of notepaper from my pocket, I scribbled down a number just before the doors opened and Hanji stood there, a grin plastered in her face as the maintenance man packed his equipment and left.

'Why hi there,' Hanji said casually, hands on hips as I stood up, glaring at her.

'Took your time.' I remarked.

'Don't fuss. Come on, Erwin's wondering where you are. Come before Aurou and Gunter have to leave.'

She turned her back, not waiting for me as she pranced down the corridor in all her ridiculous glory. I looked back at Petra, who was now on her feet.

'Nice meeting you,' she stretched out a hand. I took it, shaking it firmly and making sure I pressed the number into it.

'See you soon.' I smirked.

Her eyes widened as she realized the paper in her palm before she smiled a mischievous smile.

'You too.'

And as I followed the way I'd seen Hanji go, I felt unnaturally accomplished.

* * *

_**Hope you liked it folks :) **_

_**Drop in a word of what you thought, as well as any ideas you might have XD**_

_**Love & Respect **_


	4. Coins

**Rating: K**

* * *

**Coins**

* * *

_**9 Years Ago**_

* * *

Levi eyed the little girl as she walked down the street, towards him, with a bounce to her steps. He'd seen her minutes ago leaving her home, her father warning telling her to put the coins in her pocket and not take them out until she reached the market to buy milk and bread. She couldn't have been older than nine years old.

The little girl's auburn hair gleamed under the sun, her eyes bright with an innocence only children could have. Not for long, Levi thought bitterly.

He readied himself as she approached him, leaning against the wall of the corner she was about to round. When he heard her footsteps were close enough, he took a step forward, running straight into the girl.

She hit the floor with a gasp of shock, her previous smile wiped clean off her face, her hands pulled out to steady herself.

'Are you okay?' Levi asked, feigning surprise as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, patting his hands down her sides to make sure she wasn't injured.

She grinned at him suddenly. 'I'm alright, sir,' she said chirpily. Her optimism was humouring, Levi thought with a smirk as his hand dipped into her left pocket, fingers closing around three gold coins.

'Good,' he said, 'go on your way now.' She thanked him for no particular reason as she continued on her way, completely oblivious.

Levi opened his hand, and the sight of the three gold coins sitting in his palm made his smirk drop. Idiot girl was so trusting, it was almost pitiful. She'd get very little in life, he decided.

* * *

_**Present Time**_

* * *

'Whose she?' Levi asked evenly, watching the young woman with a careful gaze. The person in question was in a practise combat with another trainee, a grimace on her face as she tackled her opponent down.

She's grown, was his first thought when he saw her.

He was with Erwin, deciding which of the trainees would be suitable for his squad. So far, they didn't have many candidates.

'Her name is Petra Ral, one of the newer recruits. Graduated in the top five of her class, one of the best, I hear from her instructors.' Erwin informed.

'Hmm,' Levi appeared disinterested, but watching her now—Petra, her name was—he felt an odd regret for pick pocketing from her all those years ago.

'You think she'll be any good?'

'We'll just have to see on the next expedition.'

When the next expedition came and went, and Levi saw Petra alive and well by the end of it, having killed three Titans by herself, he went to Erwin afterwards and told him he wanted her on his squad.

* * *

_**Two Years Later**_

* * *

'What are you doing?' Petra yawned, stretching as she watched him get out of bed, pull on his pants and rummage through his desk drawers.

'Just searching for something, don't mind me,' Levi answered neutrally, finally finding coins in the third drawer.

Petra muttered something inaudible and turned to face the wall, trying to fall back to sleep.

Quickly, he snatched the coins, picking up her uniform jacket she abandoned the night before in their moment of passion, and slipped them into the front pocket. Quietly laying the jacket back down on the floor, he got back into bed, arm wrapping around Petra's waist.

'Find it?' she mumbled, leaning into his chest, eyes still closed.

'Yeah.' He replied, kissing her forehead. 'Go back to sleep.'

'Hmm,' she smiled slightly, deciding to turn around and wrap her own arm around his torso. Kissing the underside of his jaw, she rested her head into the crook of his neck. 'It's a day off tomorrow. Don't get up early again.'

Closing his own eyes, Levi promised, 'I won't.'

* * *

_**Short and sweet for this one, hope you enjoyed it **_

_**I'm loving the suggestions you guys are giving me, and I've got them all noted down for future chapters, thank youse all so much!**_

_**Drop in another word of suggestion if any, and tell me what you thought of this chapter **_

_**Love & Respect**_


	5. Animals

**Rating: K**

* * *

**Animals**

* * *

Petra brings the _thing_ in on a Tuesday. It's tiny, red, and Levi hates it before he sees it.

Everybody falls in love with the _thing_ on sight, even Erwin, and it annoys the shit out of Levi because everyone was determined to make him pet it.

'Please, Captain.' Petra whined on Thursday night when she came to his room, holding the animal to her chest lovingly.

'Keep that thing away from me.' He focused on his paperwork.

She frowned, slightly offended. 'It's not a _thing_, it's a _red panda._'

'Do you have any idea how those little shits breed? Get rid of it before another one sniffs it out and we're infested in fleas.'

'It was injured, Levi, and it's still a cub for God's sake. We need to help it get better.' She raised the panda to her face, pouting. 'Don't we now? You're a good girl,' she cooed at it. The panda twitched, and she gave it a big kiss between the ears.

Levi made a face of distain. 'That's disgusting, Petra.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Just you wait.'

On Friday she brought it again, and Levi refused to acknowledge the little thing's existence as Petra sat in the seat across her desk, giving it all the love in the world. All the love she hadn't ever really given _me_, Levi thought bitterly.

'Why don't you like her?' She asked.

'I hate all animals.'

'Why?'

'They're dirty. Disgusting, and they drop fur everywhere.' He began listing.

'Red pandas don't drop fur,' she responded indignantly.

'Just get rid of it. It's healed already.'

'Well, I'm making the most of it since you don't let us get a pet.' She stated.

'Fucking thank God.'

They had the weekend off, and Petra brought it again on Saturday. Before he could tell her to get the little shit out of his room, she put it on his desk, and gave Levi a kiss on the cheek.

'Take care of her for a moment while I go make you coffee.' She said and disappeared, leaving him alone with the furball of a _red panda._

He glared at it, and it cocked its head in return, staring at him curiously. It whined softly, and Levi raised a brow. This was how it won everyone's heart, he realized. By looking all innocent and cute.

He leaned forward in his chair, placing his arms on the desk as it stared at him. 'What do you have that I don't?' he questioned. 'I'm better than you if anything, you little rascal.'

He raised a hand, and the panda watched it come near it. When he stroked its head, it whined again, as though pleased, and leaned in closer. 'Hmm,' he mused, stroking it again. He could have sworn that if it was a cat, it would have purred. It was a nice thought, pleasing an innocent animal.

And then Levi promptly realized he was falling under the thing's spell, and he pulled his hand away.

Petra came in moments later, holding two mugs of coffee.

'Here you go.' She placed them on the desk and sat down, picking up the panda and putting it on her lap.

'We're releasing it back to the wild tomorrow,' she said wistfully, scratching behind its ears. She sighed. 'It was nice while it lasted.'

Levi took a sip of his coffee, shifting in his seat and clearing his throat.

'Well. If you want, we can buy something.'

She glanced up at him. 'Like what?'

'You know, an animal. Not a panda though. Maybe a cat, or a fish. Or something like that. Small. Not too much work.' He looked away at the sight of Petra's excited smile.

She stood suddenly, coming around the desk and giving him a hug around the shoulders, pressing the panda into his chest. 'Thank you,' she said cheerily, and the happiness in her voice soothed him. She kissed his cheek again, and glanced over his shoulder to the panda.

'Isn't she beautiful?' she asked.

He grunted. 'Shut up, Petra.'

* * *

_**Anyone else loved red pandas? Aren't they the most adorable little things?! **_

_**This was a suggestion from Keepsakeformemory, who suggested a drabble involving animals, here y'all go!**_

_**I was originally going to a beaver, and then a rabbit, and then a fox. But then I saw pictures of baby red pandas and they were sooooo cute!**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it **_

_**Drop in a word of thought and suggestion :D**_

_**Love & Respect**_


	6. Petra

**Rating: T**

**Petra**

* * *

There was a good number of tones Levi used when saying her name, Petra realized. All for different occasions, some in the presence of others, some saved only for their moments of privacy.

'Petra,' He'd say coolly when regarding her around Erwin or a person of high command. It was formal, meant to put a barrier between them that Petra felt all too well.

'Petra,' He'd say snappishly when he commanded her to do something and she refused to do it because it went against her principals. He didn't use it often, but when he did, he didn't say it as Levi her lover. He said it as Captain Levi, her superior. And she had to obey.

'Petra,' he'd warn when she was doing something he wasn't pleased with. Like stay up late with him to keep him company while he did paperwork. He'd want her to sleep, get some rest that he couldn't quite allow himself to have. It never worked; she'd still stay with him.

'Petra,' he'd mumble. It was always in his sleep. When she was in bed with him, and her nose in the crook of his neck, she'd hear him mutter it under his breath, like he was dreaming of her. It gave her butterflies in her stomach, and she loved the idea of him seeing her with him, even when he wasn't awake.

'Petra,' he'd rasp when she trailed kisses along his jaw, down the column of his neck. He'd grip her tightly, saying her name over and over, like a prayer.

'Petra,' he'd sound strained, breathless. They'd be making love, and when coming close to the edge, her name will leave his lips as though she was his last hope, and it would drive her crazy and she'd kiss him passionately and buck against him enough to make them both come.

'Petra,' there'd be a lilt to his tone. Like he was amused. She hated it, because he used it only when he saw her jealousy. She couldn't handle other women look at her lover like she didn't exist. He'd tell her to stop being silly, because he wouldn't be anyone's but hers.

'Petra,' he'd sound soft and sincere, like he was about to reveal a secret. And then he'd bring her closer until his lips grazed her ear, and repeat her name, softer than before. And then kiss her hair. 'Petra, I love you.'

* * *

_**How was this one? I wasn't too hyped about it, but then I began writing and it was pretty fun. If anyone would like a reverse chapter, with different tones Petra uses when saying his name and how he feels about it, I'll happily oblige. **_

_**As always, I love the suggestions, and they're all igniting this excitement in my stomach where I just wanna sit down and pump out ten chapters at once. But unfortunately, school starts tomorrow **_

_**I have no idea what I'm doing, writing this, when the ender of my life is only a mere 12 hours away. I should be doing homework, or readying my uniform, taking out fresh undies, tights, singlets. God, I should be having a SHOWER...**_

_**Nah, I'm good like this.**_

_**Drop in a word of thought and suggestion **_

_**Love & Respect**_


	7. Levi

**You guys said you'd like a reverse chapter about the previous one, so here it is I'm surprised so many people liked it.**

* * *

**Rating: T**

**Levi**

* * *

Levi couldn't help but take note of the times Petra used different tones to say his name. Some were high-pitched, most were neutral, others spontaneous.

'Captain Levi,' she'd greet chirpily in the mornings. She'd give him a huge grin when giving him his coffee, and he'd reply in a calmer manner, as though to level out the happiness in hers.

'Captain Levi!' she'd shout on expeditions, because even as humanity's strongest, he got into sticky situations at times, and the pure fear and terror in her voice would be enough to alert his senses and make him act on his instincts.

'Captain Levi,' she'd murmur when she knew he was doing something wrong. Giving an order he knew he shouldn't, something that he knew wasn't morally right. And yet, he was a soldier. This was his job, so he wouldn't look her in the eye when giving commands that he knew would tear her apart inside.

'Levi,' she'd say softly in the mornings when waking him up. She'd say it against his cheek, her breath tickling his ear. Her hand would run through his hair gently as she coaxed him with promises of coffee.

'Levi,' she'd tease when he attempted to kiss her and she pulled away. It was her way of telling him to be patient, her way of playing with him. It drove him mad that he had to wait until her game of hard-to-get was over and she was ready to let him have her. But he couldn't deny the thrill he felt in knowing he'd have her soon, and it'd be better, more pleasurable than before.

'Levi,' she'd breathe when he nipped her neck, hands roaming the expanse of her back under her shirt. She'd grip his shoulder, fingers digging into his skin. When he looked her in the eye, he'd see the desire and smirk. It was his turn to play coy. And she'd breathe his name repeatedly until they both gave into their needs.

'Levi,' she'd sound disapproving. It'd be on their days off, and they'd be out in Sina on a walk that was meant to be innocent. But his woman was earning too many glances that had his eye twitching. She'd stroke his cheek, but the spark of annoyance in her eyes would be evident. He didn't care; she was _his _fucking woman, and only _he _could look at her like that.

'Levi,' she'd be disappointed. He'd have treated somebody the way he shouldn't have, pushed somebody to their limits, or have new recruits quiver with fear at the sight of him because of their previous encounters. He did not care what others thought of him, but the tone of her voice made his chest tighten. He didn't like letting her down and it left an odd burden on his shoulders that he couldn't quite get rid of.

'Levi,' she smiled this time, and he knew what she would say before she actually did. This wasn't planned. It happened suddenly when they were sitting together on a sunny hilltop, fingers entwined. The question just escaped him, but he didn't regret it. It gave him strange feelings, a sensation of excitement of finally making her his officially. But he wanted to hear it from her, hear the words come from her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wound his around her waist in a tight embrace. 'Yes,' she whispered against his ear. He didn't need a ring to prove that he loved her. She didn't need reassurance that he did, so she repeated it, and he felt her smile against his cheek. 'God, Levi, _yes.'_

* * *

_**I'm really glad you guys liked the previous chapter, it wasn't the one I got most excited about, but you guys seemed to love it, so I'm happy. Hopefully this one was just as good, or at least satisfying **_

_**By the way, is anybody's birthday coming up? Not necessarily this month or anything. You know what, why don't any of you who'd like a fic dedication, drop in your birthday for me? If you guys like, I can dedicate a chapter to you on your birthday, and the chapter would be based on a theme or suggestion you want :D**_

_**Let me know what you think of this chapter, and drop in your birthday and preferred theme/suggestion if you'd like a dedication drabble! It's the least I could do for you lovely readers. This could go throughout the entire fic, not just for next chapter. So whenever there's a birthday coming up, I'll write up a chapter for y'all and post it on the day. A present from me for being such great readers This has me excited now XD**_

_**By the way, I'm thinking of writing a Levi and Petra origins 'd be multi-chapter, no more than twenty chapters, and it'll follow them from their childhood through to their adulthood. It'd be in Levi's point of view for most of the beginning, but Petra's view will be in it occasionally. What do you think? It gives me stomach butterflies to give it a go. Would you guys read it? In case I do though, I posted a possible summary of it on my profile, under the 'Coming Soon' title. I've always wanted an eyesight into Levi's past, and what better way than do it yourself if the manga ain't givin it to, right?**_

_**Love & Respect**_


	8. Brusque

**This is dedicated to Blueeyeswhit3, whose birthday is today Have a happy happy birthday, dear!**

**Rating: K**

**Brusque**

* * *

For as long as Petra could remember, Levi had always been cold, rapacious and downright rude. It was part of his character, and Petra quickly learnt to accept it, deal with it and work her way around it. But as she spent more time with him, she realized his inability to express himself, and if anything, it made him more charming. She grew to love his awkward personality, adore his unpolished individuality. She learnt to read in between the lines, understand what he was trying to say without quite speaking the words.

_I love you, _was expressed through the tucking of her hair behind her ear. It would be a sweet gesture, his touch like a feather, as though she was a china doll and he was afraid of breaking her.

_You're beautiful, _his kisses said. They'd be trailed along her jaw, over her nose, her eyes, her chin. It was intimate, lovely and her pulse increased with excitement. She had many scars all over her body, but when he kisses them, as though they were the most wonderful things he'd seen, Petra truly felt beautiful.

_Don't leave me, _his hands would relay. They'd have had a close encounter with Titans, and hours later, they'd be in a crowd. Levi was never one for public affection, but she could see his fear in almost having lost her, his relief for her to still be alive. His hand would brush against hers when nobody could see, and she felt his emotions through the brief contact. And ever so slightly, her fingers would find his and squeeze them tightly, as though to say, _I'm still here._

But no gesture was as expressive as this moment, with only four words and the look in his eyes to win her heart all over again.

'Will you marry me?'

She should have known this day was coming, and it wasn't that she didn't. It was the circumstances it was done in. Here, in front of everybody, with Levi on one knee, and her in her seat, frozen into place. Levi held a ring, the diamond sparkling under the lighting of the room. But the look in his eyes, the desperate, hopeful look in his eyes that seemed to _pray _that she'd accept, was enough. It didn't matter if he gave her a ring made out of a paperclip; there was no way she'd refuse.

'Yes,' she breathed, and the happiness in her voice sounded through the room, and in seconds, everybody was applauding. Levi's expression relaxed, and Petra didn't realize how tense he was until his shoulders loosened up, and he slid the ring onto her finger. He pulled her into a hug, the cheering of the onlooking crowd almost inaudible to their ears.

But when they broke apart, Hanji pulled her into a hug, grip tight as she squealed in her ear. 'Congratulations!'

And so it went on, everybody congratulating them on their engagement, and insisting they went out for a drink to celebrate. Neither Petra nor Levi protested (though he did show his dismay), and as the night wore on, they did not spend another moment together. Aurou swore to be the best man, and Jean argued he'd be a nuisance for the role, and everybody laughed. Even Mikasa cracked a smile, clearly happy for them, and seeing the young girl express her pleasure made Petra's heart soar. She didn't miss the way Eren reached out and gripped her hand, and she thought she saw a hint of a promise in the gazes of the young pair.

When they went back home, Levi quietly slipped into her room, away from everybody's prying eye.

'Hey.' Petra smiled softly.

'Hey.'

They stood apart for a moment before her smile stretched into a wide grin, and she threw herself into his arms.

'I love you,' she said into his ear, and although he smirked, when she pulled away she saw the love in his eyes.

Levi was not by any means a vocally expressive man. But she did not need his words when his eyes were the true windows to his soul. They embraced again, and the glistening ring on her finger caught Petra's attention. The events of the night finally caught up to her, and she tried her new name on her tongue.

Petra Ackerman.

She smiled. It suited her quite nicely, she decided.

* * *

_**Birthday fic for Blueeyeswhit3! I hope you liked it sweetie, and it was satisfying enough I'm really sorry it wasn't to the best of my abilities because I had a surgery on my finger and I couldn't quite write it the way I hoped.**_

_**Now, I wrote this the night I came out of a surgery on my finger, like I just said, and I have to say I think I'm going to take a week off writing because it really fucking hurts. It was a plastic surgery on my middle finger, and my ring finger is still numb, but I gotta admit it's fun poking and prodding at things when you can't feel a thing. And bending it into whatever angle I want is hilarious **_

_**So yeah, no writing for a week unfortunately until the bandaging comes off my finger, because it really does kill. If the chapter was to your liking, please comment and let me know what you thought as well as any suggestion you would like to add.**_

_**Oh, and thank you to those people who dropped in their birthday Let me know what theme you would like , and I'll have it posted on the day hopefully **_

_**By the way, I'm glad you guys liked the origins idea, it excited me too ;))**_

_**So when this finger is feeling better, I'll post the next chapter! In the meantime, I'm planning out all my current other stories, so I have a chapter guide to follow, and I'll plan the origins story as well so it is posted soon XD**_

_**Love & Respect**_


	9. Familiar

**Rating: T**

**Familiar**

* * *

**10 different universes in which Levi met Petra.**

**The dates are in no particular order, and are all in different universes, not one after another, so the dates can conflict :)**

* * *

_**Maid - 1535**_

The first time Levi saw Petra, he was a guard in King Henry VIII's palace. In charge of the royal treasury, he caught sight of her when she waltzed by in her water maid dress, holding a basket of laundry to hang in the maids' courtyard. He had never seen such a beautiful smile.

_**Criminal - 1796**_

She was a young maiden on the ship with her parents. The Rals were a small family who were travelling to Australia from England in hopes of a new life and a brighter future. Looking down at the manacles that clasped his hands, Levi never felt so low and unimportant in his life. Though both he and the beautiful maiden were on the same ship to the same destination, once they reached the port, they would take different ways. Because she was a free woman with a future of success and hope, and he was a convicted criminal being taken to Melbourne only to rot behind bars for the rest of his life.

_**Frustration - 1341**_

As a beautiful young woman, Petra was deemed to live happily, Levi was sure. She moved with grace and her beauty made any man ache. Even a lowly eunuch like himself. Levi watched wordlessly as she and the king walked in the palace gardens in complete happiness. He could not deny his yearning; no man could. But watching her, the favourite concubine of the great King Taejong of the Josean, Levi swallowed his frustration and only prayed that one day he would forget her.

_**Morbid - 1911**_

He could not do this. He had pledged to the Soviet Union to serve them with his life. So why was he here, in the cell of a woman whose family he had been sent to spy on and kill? He had to bring her back to the Soviet Union for classified reasons, and under no circumstances was he to see her again. He had expected her to hate him now, for deceiving her, for killing her family and for kidnapping her. But there was no disgust or anger in her eyes. They were full of love instead. So going against every one of his instincts, Levi pulled her towards him and crashed his lips onto hers.

_**Indians - 1684**_

Jamestown was a refreshing place indeed. Aside from minor attacks from the American Indians, Levi had come across no difficulty since he sailed here as an blacksmith. He'd found himself a home and an acre of land to make a living off. All he needed now was a wife to share his life with. After many weeks of investigating and asking his new neighbours, he had set his eyes on a particular young woman named Petra Ral. Her family had moved to Jamestown only last year, and their only daughter was at a decent age to marry. So with purpose, Levi had decided to introduce himself to her. Sure enough only a month later, he found himself infatuated with this young woman, and after their marriage, found out she had an odd relationship with the Indians with whom she would constantly meet in the woods. His wife had made friends with the _Indians. _He most certainly had a strange spouse.

_**Sovereign -1858**_

Many Chinese had moved to Australia in hopes of finding luck in the gold rush. Levi had come from his hometown, leaving behind his family, but found much more than golden nuggets. Despite the ill treatment from European settlers in the new town of Sovereign Hill, Chinese immigrants remained positive with their findings in the gold mines, and after an accidental meeting with a certain maiden in the streets, Levi considered himself one of the luckiest men on earth. Because not only had he found gold that he could make money out of and send back to his family in China, he had also found the woman of his life. So some days, after a long day in the mines, he would quietly make it to the top of a particular hill and greet his lover with open arms and a passionate kiss. Both of them knew they couldn't be together forever, that her parents would find her a husband some day, but they wanted to make it last while they could.

_**Reprisal - 1943**_

Never had Levi felt remorse watching the Jewish captives enter the gas chambers, only to never come back out alive. Never had he thought of the unfortunate souls who left their bodies when their heads were decapitated. Because he was a Nazi soldier, and Jews were those he was supposed to hate. So why now did he feel such pain and self loathing? He couldn't look away as two soldiers dragged the auburn-haired female by the arms as she kicked and screamed. The tears streamed down her face, and when she passed Levi and tripped over, the soldiers let her arms go. She sobbed uncontrollably at his feet, but both the soldiers who were had held her had no sympathy on their face. The girl finally looked up, and Levi realized she couldn't be more than nineteen years of age. When their eyes met, her expression of sorrow and fear almost made his heart stop. 'Help,' she begged through cracked lips as the soldiers finally pulled her to her feet and continued to drag her. She never broke eye contact as she entered the gas chambers, and when the doors finally closed, the truth finally hit Levi that whoever entered those chambers _never really came out_.

_**Hope - 1937**_

The Great Depression had taken over their lives and the entire United Kingdom was living under a black cloud. The people in the ghetto hadn't had a proper meal in months, and whatever he could find, Levi couldn't find it in himself to keep it to himself while he watched the children watch him hungrily. Each night he went to sleep with the determination to look harder for a job in order to support himself, but each day, things only got worse. Other people from the ghetto only managed off water and stale bread and some dates for the past three weeks, and never had Levi felt so fucking hopeless. But it was that fateful day in the marketplace did he see it. A young woman with golden copper hair, clutching a piece of break wrapped in newspaper with a young boy in front of her. They were across the street, and Levi could only stare as she leaned down and murmured something in the child's ear before handing him the bread. The boy jumped in happiness, and he could hear him thanking her endlessly before running off down the street. And the girl could only stare after him with this ridiculous grin on her face. It was the first time he had seen someone smile so sincerely in almost years, and Levi felt a new hope blossom within him.

_**Battle - 1915**_

He was dying in the battlefield while soldiers fled around him and gunshots began to decease. He took ragged breaths and clutched his wounded side desperately. He couldn't die yet. He had to win this fucking war. He had to see the end of this battle, and see his country take victory in the battle of Gallipoli. His vision began to blur and he thought to pray to God to give him a blessed afterlife, but before he could, someone appeared above him. A Turkish soldier. _Holy fuck_ was his last thought before he succumbed to the darkness. When he opened his eyes again, a young woman was staring down at him quizzically. A nurse? He blinked. Was he not dead? Cautiously, he looked around his surroundings, blinking some more to rid the dizziness. The only thing he could understand was that he was in a medical tent, surrounded by grinning Turkish soldiers and a beautiful nurse. She turned to the soldiers and ordered something in their native language, and they left the tent, some of them clapping him on the back in assurance. '_Yaşarsın dostum'_ they said, but Levi didn't understand. He could only stare in confusion as the nurse brought some medical materials and began to unwrap a bandage around his wound she must have put on earlier. He sat up as she wrapped fresh bandages around his abdomen, and when she was finally finished, she smiled at him. 'Don't worry, you will live,' she said in English with a thick accent. He could not think of how to reply, only staring defensively. 'We will not hurt you.' She assured, and lifted her hand out. 'I am Petra.'

_**Remember - 2014**_

Déjà vu was not a way to explain this moment, Levi decided as a girl knocked into him in the streets of Toronto and caused all the books he was carrying in his arms to crash to the floor. The girl's hands flew up to her mouth. 'I'm so sorry,' she apologised in shock, and bent down to pick up what had fallen. It was definitely not déjà vu. Because Levi was not familiar with the situation; he was familiar with the girl. Her brown eyes shined and even though she wasn't smiling, her face was beautiful. Levi could only stand rooted to his spot as she handed the books to him. 'I am so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going,' she admitted. Levi nodded numbly. A pause fell between them before she grinned and the gesture was so familiar and warming and wonderful, Levi could only think one thing. _I've seen her before._

* * *

_**Yeah, I couldn't stop myself. This not updating drove me up the wall, so here is another one .Except I cheated because this is just the Levi x Petra version of my other story, When I Meet You. My hand still hurts, so I just settled with this. Just edited and stuff. **_

_**Again these are set in completely different realities and don't relate. And I probably also mixed some dates but...yolo**_

_**Hopefully it wasn't terrible; drop in a thought and suggestion XD**_

_**By the way, if anyone wants to ask me questions, I've just gotten myself an , so feel free to ask anonymously! **_

_** /nazli_sev (before someone asks, I'm not in the profile picture, it's my best friends :))**_

_****__**Love & Respect**_


	10. Time

**Here's another one! There's two OC characters in this one **

**Rating: K**

**Time**

* * *

When I first saw him, he was watching me from across the road. He wore an annoyed expression on his face, sour from anger and irritation. I frowned. Who was he? People bustled about around me, bodies being rolled into ambulances, screaming neighbours. I spotted Hanji several metres ahead, looking around in a panic. 'Is Petra OK?' I heard her asking the people around her. _I'm here, _I thought.

My mind felt foggy, unable to solve what was happening. Wasn't I inside the apartment building? I twisted enough just to see our apartment. Flames licked the walls inside the 2nd storey. _Jilly, _I thought. Did Jilly make it out? Walking towards the ambulance to my right, I tried to look over the heads of the crowd that circled the vehicle, but all I could see was a thick set of bed sheets.

'Stupid,' I heard behind me.

Spinning around, I almost knocked into what my mind first interpreted as a brick wall. But brick walls didn't wear pea coats of a dark navy colour, or have bulging veins in their necks that looked ready to explode from anger. I took a step back and stared at the person before me. The man across the road, his face even scarier and more intimidating up close than from afar.

'You humans are such fucking troublemakers,' he stated. What the hell.

'Who are you?' I asked.

'Do you have any idea what you've done?' he inquired, ignoring my question.

'What?' I responded, bemused.

He raised his hand to my face and flicked his fingers against my forehead. I slapped the limb away.

'The hell,' I started, ready to tell him off.

'Two people died because of you today,' he said, voice rising as he leaned forward. 'Baka.'

What was he talking about? I saved Jilly didn't I? I pushed her out of the fire.

'The girl's fine,' the guy remarked hastily,' but what about the other two? What about yourself?'

I could feel my patience running out.

'There was no one else in the apartment. And I'm here aren't I?" I said, pretty sure he was trying to imply that I was dead.

'No, you're in there,' he pointed towards the burning building. Fire fighters with hoses were making attempts to put out the flames, a whole lot of them circling the entrance.

'I don't have time for this,' I muttered, 'I have to find Jilly,' I turned to make a start towards where I saw Hanji last, but a woman in a hurry rushed past. The force of her pushing past should have knocked me off my feet, but it didn't. She stepped right through me. A shiver went down my spine. 'Did she just...' the guy in the pea coat grabbed my head and turned it to face the building again. A fire fighter just stepped out, holding a limp body in his arms. The body had on a green jumper, similar to the one I threw on this morning. Golden hair gleamed under the sun and the fire fighter rushed towards the only vacant ambulance.

'That's me,' I murmured.

'You're dead,' the guy said.

**-X-**

In the emergency room, there was me, two doctors, a nurse, and the guy who flicked my head earlier. Out of my four companions, only the dude actually knew I was there. We watched the doctors work on my body. I had on an oxygen mask and a white gown, a plastic cap covering up my hair.

'I don't get it,' I said finally. The doctors didn't hear me, as expected. 'If I'm here,' I pointed at myself, 'how am I still alive there?' I pointed to where my body lay. The guy didn't look at me as he answered, 'right now, they are only stitching up your wounds. According to the information I've been given, by tomorrow, you'll be in a coma and on life support.'

I looked at him. 'How do you know?' I snapped.

He gave me a 'because I just do' stare before walking towards the emergency room's exit. He gestured me to follow him. He opened the door and stepped out, and because the doctors didn't seem to notice, I followed/

He walked down the hallway, making a beeline for a way out of the hospital. Considering the fact that he was the only person who could see me (not that anyone saw him either), I had no choice but to tag along. 'What's your name?' I asked him, speeding up to keep in step with him.

'Call me Levi,' he said casually, hands in his coat pockets. 'Who are you?' I pushed, pressing for answers. A doctor walked right through me, stopping me in my tracks for about five seconds before I pulled myself together and caught up to...Levi.

We made it out the hospital and kept walking until we reach a nearby park. He finally turned to look at me. 'Who are you?' I repeated.

'I'm a Corrector,' he replied, his anger from earlier seeming to have died down.

I blinked at him. 'And that is?'

He raised his hand and flicked my head again. That was seriously stringing on the last nerves I had left today.

'Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused today?' he questioned, and instead of thinking it over, I was trying to decipher whether his eyes were brown or green, but he flicked my forehead again.

'Two people died because of me?' I suggested dryly, thinking of what he had said before.

'Exactly. Marie Preston and her grandmother have both died because of your stupidity,' he said through gritted teeth, eyes raging and his anger appeared out of nowhere. Did he say Marie? Was Marie even home? Was their Nan home? 'I had no idea,' I told Levi, 'but how is it my fault? I saved Jilly, didn't I? She's alive, you said it yourself.'

'You're forgetting that you had three neighbours living in that flat above your own, Petra Ral,' Levi said. Somehow, he knowing my name didn't come off as a surprise, considering everything else he knew.

'So what's a Corrector?' I inquired, turning the spotlight on him. 'Think of me as a grim reaper,' he offered. I frowned. 'You're the Death Angel?'

He gave an annoyed sigh. 'Why do you humans always mistake us for the Death Angel? Do you have no originality? Corrector. Drill it in your head. Corrector,' he leaned closer with every syllable he pronounced.

'What is it?' I found myself shouting out of frustration. Levi leaned back, waiting for me to calm down before finally answering, 'creations that help dead souls get to the next world. We appear at a scene in which a person is fated to die, and then we send the soul onwards.'

I paused before retorting, 'that wasn't that hard.'

He didn't say anything.

So, are you the Corrector that came to take me?' I asked. His expression of annoyance and irritation returned. 'You weren't scheduled to die today!' he shouted all of the sudden. Gosh, he must be bipolar. Calm and cool one second and going all ape the next. Then again, I can't say anything different for myself in this situation.

'Then why did you come?' I yelled back. He gave me a look that could only be interpreted as 'are you stupid?'

'We aren't called Correctors for nothing. Every now and then, some idiots mess up fate and make a mistake so someone dies before their scheduled time. You are one of those idiots,' he snapped harshly.

'Excuse me? So I was meant to let Jilly die? What would you have done in that situation?'

'What about Marie and Nanny Preston? Because of you, they got killed before their time was up,' he repeated.

'I couldn't get out alive myself, how is it my fault they died?'

Levi opened his mouth to speak, but thought against it and zipped up in its place. Instead, he lifted his hands and covered my eyes. I felt ready to slap them away, but pictures started forming before my eyes.

I saw myself, a laundry basket in hand. I knew this... this happened two weeks ago. Mine and my flatmate, Hanji's washing machine broke down, so we asked our neighbours, the Prestons on the flat above, if we could use theirs instead. Marie, being responsible for her Nan and younger sister, Jilly, agreed. We were good friends anyway.

I was taking out my newly washed laundry from the washing machine when I stood up and stumbled backwards. My hand reached for the only thing available; the door handle. I fell on my butt, knocking the handle off, the sound of it hitting the floorboards sounding in my ears. 'Crap,' I muttered, picking it up and trying to screw it back on. It didn't work. Just leaving it hanging there, I quickly picked up my basket and rushed out, almost knocking into Marie. I saw myself trying to tell her about the broken handle, but she brushed it off, so I said goodbye and left.

Levi moved his hands from my eyes, and I opened my lids, the sun's brightness blinding me for a few seconds.

'That doesn't prove anything,' I murmured, blinking a couple of times to adjust to the light. 'Do you know what happened in the fire?' Levi asked.

I shook my head. Sighing through his nose again, he again reached his hand, and my first instinct was to bite it if it came near my face, but he started drawing on the air in front of us. And what he drew was in clear black, completely understandable. He was practically writing on air.

He drew a plan of what I recognized as the flats in our six storey apartment, but this one had features that resembled the Prestons' flat plan. Two bedrooms and one kitchen, lounge room, bathroom, toilet and laundry room.

Levi drew an 'X' in one of the rooms. '11:32am today, Nanny Preston, age seventy one, was asleep in this room. She has spinocerebellar degeneration, so she couldn't move during the fire.' He drew another 'X' in the kitchen. 'Jilly Preston, age fifteen, was in the kitchen, making noodles,' he drew a final 'X' in the laundry. 'Marie Preston, age twenty three, was doing laundry here, with the door closed.' He paused for a moment, making sure I was following before continuing.

'At 11:34am, Jilly Preston, here,' he pointed to the kitchen, 'was lighting the stove with a lighter when she burnt herself and dropped it on the bench near a turned on power point, and it caught on fire. Hence, the cause of this dreadful event,' Levi said in a mockery voice. It _was _dreadful, what part of it was worth a joke for him to mock it? Levi went on. 'Jilly screamed, causing Marie in the laundry to hear her and panic. In a rush, she reaches for the handle, not knowing it was broken, and pulls on it hard. Not such a problem under normal circumstances, but the force of her pull chipped off a piece of the handle's inside. Because of this, Marie got locked in the laundry and couldn't get out,' he turned to me. 'Understand now?'

My eyes were concentrating on where Marie was meant to be in the drawing. She was unable to get out because I broke the door handle.

'So if I hadn't broken the knob that day, she would have gotten out and lived? How about the Nan?'

Levi put his finger to where Marie's 'X' was. 'According to Fate, Petra Ral, age twenty one, was to hear Jilly's scream, and was to come and save her. Marie was to save Nanny, and all four were going to get out just fine. However,' he his eyes pierced mine, gleaming with an emotion I couldn't pinpoint, 'you screwed up Fate, and because of that, not only did two Prestons die, but you put yourself in a life-support coma. Your physical body is brain dead, so you are considered dead.' He swayed a hand at the plan drawing, and it disappeared, leaving behind a trail of smoke.

I didn't say anything for several minutes, and Levi didn't push me. Normally, I digested info pretty fast, but I needed a breather for this one.

'So what are you here for?' I asked finally, my spirits dropping to my toes.

Levi sighed (_again_) but in relief this time, like I was finally catching on. 'Correctors,' he said, getting comfortable.

'When a person is responsible for a change in Fate, a Corrector is sent to them also, to help them fix their mistake, so the people who weren't meant to die can live again,' I felt myself perk up. 'How?' I buzzed.

Levi watched me, searching for a sense of surprise as he responded, 'going back in time.'

**-X-**

Awesome. Going back in time to fix the biggest mistake in my life. Totally easy. Levi gave me the details. So I had three chances to go back to any time before the fire to try and change the outcome. If I failed all three times... well, I was just told that the price to pay for ruining other people's lives in the next world were messy.

So here I was, sitting at a restaurant table, Levi across me, listening to music through earphones he pulled out of nowhere. Being two invisible people, no waiter came to serve us, or noticed us for that matter.

Levi, being the rude, impatient, snappy yet cool bipolar bastard that he was, was taking everything calmly, tapping his feet to his music, nodding his head while I sat there like a mad person, making a decision of what time to go back to. I guess the obvious one. Back to when I broke the handle. Apparently, in situations like this, as long as the outcome was the way fate had it planned out, the way it was done didn't matter. So I could go to the time of the fire and open the door to the laundry for Marie to just get out. But it was too risky.

'I'll go back to two weeks ago,' I decided aloud. Levi didn't hear me, looking around the restaurant. I reached over the table and pulled out the earphones from his ears. He gave no verbal response, simply taking them back.

'I chose when to go back to, now, how do I go back?' I questioned.

'Idiot,' he muttered under his breath, putting his earphones back in his ears. Frustrating retard.

'What does that mean anyway?' I demanded. 'Baka this, baka that. At least let me know what I'm being called.' He looked me up and down. 'It means stupid in Japanese,' he retorted, leaning forward.

I frowned.

'Japanese?'

'Ya, Japanese. I'm a Corrector. We don't only correct one race you know. We know every language ever spoken,' his statement was followed by a string of foreign words I couldn't understand.

My stress level was rising, and I was more than ready to claw out his eyes, but a familiar sound reached my ears. I turned my head to the source. In the middle of the restaurant was a grand piano, a man sitting at it, playing a melody I had learnt not long ago. Almost automatically, I stood up, walking over and watched over his shoulder as he played out the piece. Levi followed me, doing exactly what I was.

Everybody stopped to listen, the beautiful notes reaching every ear. I yearned to reach over and play the keys myself, but the glory was for this man, I couldn't interrupt him now.

'Let's go,' I murmured to Levi. He nodded, understanding.

He led me out the restaurant until the sound could be heard no more.

We reached our apartment building.

'Give me the date and time of the event, and I'll send you back. If you succeed in changing it, you'll wake up to however fate would permit it after the fire. If you don't, you'll just end up back here,' he turned to look at me.

'I doubt this is a goodbye, so when you come back, just find me,' he said.

'Where will you be?'

He shrugged. 'You'll know,'

I had no choice but to trust him, so I just went on to calculating the date. '12th of August, around 12:30pm,' I said, remembering that it was almost twenty past when I left my flat to go pick up my washed clothes.

'Adios,' Levi saluted.

And then everything went dark.

**-X-**

'Thanks for letting me use your machine, Marie!" I cheerfully thanked my neighbour. Marie stood in the kitchen, making coffee. I stood before her, holding a laundry basket. She winked. 'No worries, Kat,' she said. I smiled at her before going to the laundry room, but a weird feeling came over me, like I did this before. Was I having déjà vu? Feeling odd, I unloaded my laundry from the machine, feeling the funny need to be careful with what I do. But my tracksuit pants were too long, and as I stood, I tripped over them.

Unwillingly, I fell backwards, and my hand reached out automatically for something to hold on to. It all happened so fast when the handle knocked off its hinge and I felt a sharp pain in my buttocks. But the fallen off door handle panicked me more. 'Crap,' I said, making an effort to try and screw it back on. Fail. In a rush, I picked up my basket, and ran out, almost knocking into Marie who held a coffee in her hand. 'I sort of-' but she cut me off. 'As long as you didn't get hurt, it's fine,' she said.

A strange feeling washed over me, like it wasn't fine.

'OK,' I murmured. 'Thanks again,' and I left, a nagging feeling saying to me, 'baka, baka,'

And then the world went blank.

**-X-**

When I opened my eyes, I was in front of the building, and the memories of what just happened washed over me. I didn't remember. I didn't remember any of this when I went back, or the fact that I _even _went back. Panic rose in my throat. I couldn't do it. Stupid Levi.

I followed my instincts to where I thought that good for nothing Corrector was, and sure enough, I was right. He sat on a bench in the middle of a busy street, between a cafe and a boutique store. He was watching something in the cafe intently, his face unreadable.

I plumped down next to him. 'You should have told me I wouldn't remember that I was going back in time, or told me that I wouldn't remember knowing that I'll die in the future,' I said, but I didn't bother telling him off. In the couple of hours I've known him, I already memorised his character.

'Should I tell you something about Correctors?' Levi said, ignoring my previous statement.

I went along. 'Go ahead,'

'In his lifetime, a Corrector only helps seventy nine souls to the next world. When we are first created, the only resemblance we have to humans is our physical form, but human being have seventy nine important attributes. So every time we help a soul go on, we earn an attribute and become more human. The last attribute is immortality. After sending on seventy nine souls, a Corrector becomes a human with a normal life. A Corrector can live on for hundreds of years, but until he helps those seventy nine souls, he can never become a human being. Being human is a Corrector's goal in life,' he chuckled. 'Isn't it funny how we throw away a life of forever to become beings that would eventually die? Sounds ridiculous.'

'How old are you?' I asked

'One hundred and twenty seven.'

I let out a snort before composing myself. I patted him on the shoulder. 'You don't look a day over thirty, it's alright,' I said sympathetically. He broke into an unnaturally suppressed smile.

'Why would Correctors want to become humans though?' I inquired.

He took a deep breath, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 'We were created that way, I guess. We're really backwards, huh?'

I smiled in response.

'How many more souls do you need to help now?'

'You're the last one. Souls that you help correct their mistakes count in the seventy nine too,' he answered.

I clucked my tongue. 'I'm keeping you up, am I?' I questioned. He shrugged. 'Doesn't matter.'

I nodded in response, then I realized, this whole time we were speaking, he didn't look at me once.

'What are you staring at?' I'm not sure if he noticed just how many questions I've asked today, but he didn't say anything about it if he did. Must be used to it.

'Can you see that guy there? In the red baseball cap,' I followed his eyes. Indeed, there was a guy, perhaps in his late twenties, sitting at a table next to the window of the cafe, looking out of it.

'What do you think he's staring at?' Levi asked. I turned around in my seat, eyeing the people in the boutique store where his gaze seemed to be.

'See the woman behind the counter? Brunette with a grey cardigan?' I eyed the said person.

'Yeah. Is he watching her?' I asked.

He nodded.

'Everyday for the past two years, he's come to the cafe, sat in the exact same seat, ordered the exact same thing and watched that woman through the window. He's in love with her, but being the dickless guy he is, she doesn't even know he exists.'

I smiled sadly. 'Unrequited love,' I said under my breath, watching him. The man had a straight face, eyes just concentrating on the woman.

'I plan to do that,' Levi stated. My head snapped to him. 'What?'

Finally, he looked at me. 'I first saw her eight years ago, at the funeral of a soul I helped. It must have been her distant relative. She was a barely thirteen back then,' he said. I got myself comfortable, like I was listening to an interesting story. 'What happened? You just fell in love with her then and there?'

He shook his head. 'She just attracted my attention because of her purity. She looked so untainted and innocent. It was hard to find people like that,' he added the last part for emphasis.

'After that, I started following her, watching her from afar, interfering if anything bad was to happen, helping her here and there when she was struggling, without her noticing. As the years went passed, she grew older, and as a creation who physically stayed the same...I don't know, I just...fell for her.'

My smiled grew.

'I'm not sure if that's stalker-like or romantic.' He didn't respond to that.

'Before a Corrector becomes human, God grants them a single wish for them to have in this world. That girl is going to be my wish,' he said.

'How? You just said you were going to be a coward and watch her from afar,' I pointed out.

He shook his head. 'She was a soul who accidently screwed fate as well. I was the Corrector to help her fix her mistakes. So we spent time together, but once a soul fixes his or her mistakes and comes back to life, they don't recall memories of such things. No going back in time or waking up as a soul. Because fate went perfectly, so there is no reason to remember or else the heavenly secrets could be revealed to all of humankind.'

I waited for several seconds for him to continue, but he didn't.

'So what's your wish?' I questioned.

He took in a deep breath, as if still thinking it over. 'She's going to notice how I watch her, how I'm there every time something happens, and with time, I want her to remember who I was. That's all I want.'

I frowned. 'Why not just ask for her to fall in love with you? What if she rejects you even after she remembers?' He gave me another unreadable look.

'I'm not going to force the woman I love to love me under unnatural circumstances. Even if she rejects me, just knowing that she's alive and healthy is enough for me to be happy.'

I slapped my forehead. Lovesick puppy. Completely different to the arrogant dog he was just a few hours ago.

'Baka,' I said. He grinned, flicking my forehead once more. 'I agree,' he assured.

**-X-**

Because I had no time limit, I was free to clear my head and think of a better plan to get things going smoothly. Levi decided to give a tour on how life was as a soul, and so our day of fun began.

He took me to the museum first, and we jumped all the ropes and touched all the things that were prohibited. Without getting caught. We went to the amusement park and rode on all the rides for free. Without getting caught. We went to the zoo and entered the bird cages and monkey areas. Without getting caught. And finally, as a surprise, Levi took me to the music studio after hours, where he sat me down at the piano in the auditorium to play on and make all the noise I want, as it was empty. He made me play all the pieces of music I knew, and asked me questions he already knew the answer to, but claimed that he wanted to hear from my mouth.

He knew I wanted to get into uni as music major to become a professional pianist because my mother was one before her dreams were ruined when she fractured her wrist. He knew my mom died when I was eight, and my dad was a junkie so he struggled with looking after me. He knew I left home when I was eighteen with my best friend Naomi, to start anew. He knew I worked at a nearby cafe every single day with Naomi to raise our tuition fees. And he knew that I had never been to a museum, zoo or an amusement park. And yet, he made me say every single detail. So he wasn't the dog he was when he first spoke to me. The idea that he knew so much sparked a feeling in my stomach.

'Levi,' I said as we were heading back to my apartment to finally get to business.

'Hmm,' he responded.

'Promise me that you'll come looking for when you become human. Even if I don't remember, remember to come, alright?'

He grinned. 'Why?'

I smiled. 'I've grown attached to you,' I said teasingly.

He rolled his eyes. 'They all say the same thing, I must be really fucking good looking.'

I laughed.

And then we were standing in front of the building.

'Why didn't you tell me earlier that I wouldn't remember anything when I went back in time?' I buzzed.

'You had to find out for yourself. It's forbidden to tell a soul such a secret. That's why 97% of the time, a soul always goes back in time a second or a third time.' he explained.

I nodded, understanding.

'Well, this might be our last time meeting as people, who know each other,' I said. I reached out my hand towards him. He shook it.

'Ciao,' he said.

'Bye,' I offered back, but in pure English.

'August 12, 12:30pm,' Levi announced.

And like before, everything blacked out.

**-X-**

'Thanks for letting me use your machine, Marie!' I cheerfully thanked my neighbour. Marie stood in the kitchen, making coffee. I stood before her, holding a laundry basket. She winked. 'No worries Kat,' she said. I smiled before disappearing into the laundry room. A feeling of déjà vu came over me, like a repetition was happening in my head. _Careful, Petra, _A voice chastised me. Perhaps I was going mental. I kneeled down next to the machine and unloaded my clothes, but before getting up, I could feel a thick fabric under my foot. Realizing just how long my tracksuit pants were, I tied a knot to prevent myself from stepping on it. God forbid if I trip and something bad happens.

I stand up, pick up my basket of freshly-washed laundry, and made my way out the room.

'Thanks again, Marie,' I said to the said person as I walked passed her.

'Anytime,' she replied, waving as I said goodbye. As I got home, an awesome feeling of triumph overcame the odd one from before. It was a good day

**-X-**

_**4 MONTHS LATER**_

**-X-**

Everybody escaped from the fire that happened almost four months ago, thank God. Though not all of us were unharmed. Marie had a large burn on her arm, and Jilly and I had scars. Jilly's however, were more covered, being on her shoulder and back where she hit herself while getting out of the fire. Mine however, were more publicly seen. A long, thick scar ran down my neck. I barely remember how I got it, it was all hazy at the time. But we made it through. We made it through with permanent reminders, but we were alive, that was the important part.

I was working at the cafe one Saturday, serving drinks when Hanji called me over from behind the counter.

'What's up?'

'You know that guy at table 4?' Looking as natural as possible, I turned my head to take a peek. Oh. That guy. Again. If an explanation is needed: short yet good-looking with dark features and a dark pea coat.

'What about him?' I asked.

'He's been coming every day for the past three and a half months, and he orders the exact same thing, but every time I look at him, he's watching you. Should we be worried?' she asserted.

'Relax Hanji,' Auro said as he came next to us. Bobby was a waiter here too, and just about the most egotistical guy I know, but in a good way. Laidback and calm and thinks everybody is in love with him, Auro is the definition of a playboy.

'Why?' Hanji inquired.

Bobby rolled his eyes. 'You females are really oblivious to the way men work.' Hanji and I gave each other a look. 'He's not stalking Petra, he's _interested _in her,' he clarified.

And slowly, it all started coming back...

The museum

The amusement park

The zoo

The restaurant

The music studio.

_Son of a..._ my mind trailed off. _That baka, _I thought.

**-X-**

When I got off work at seven, I took notice that Levi got up as well. As soon as I disappeared around the corner of the cafe, I turned around, and, as expected, he stood there, suppressing a grin.

'You are such a dork,' I told him.

'That's not the first time I've heard it,' all it took was a few steps for him to stand right in front of me. He flicked my forehead.

I frowned, but a smile was crawling its way onto my face and I knew he saw it.

'Baka,' I mumbled.

There was a light in his eyes that made butterflies erupt in my stomach..

'That's my line.' Was his reply as he leaned in.

* * *

_**Ok let me start off by saying this is 95% unedited, and is the Petra/Levi version of my Ino/Shika story, because I'm itching to update but cannot So any weirdness, typos, strange things, know that this was me writing a short story for an assignment in year 8. It was on my hardrive so I just double-posted it here ;)**_

_**Hope it was alright, let me know what u think and a drop in of suggestion for future chapters **_

_**I've said this last time too, but my ask didn't come up and I didn't get lots of questions. If anybodys curious about anything from my social life to my personal to my school to my stories or whatnot, do ask on ask . fm **_

_**My fm is: ask . fm / nazli _ sev (without the spaces in between )**_

_**It's so fun and scary at the same time to answer questions from people u don't know, lol.**_

_**Love & Respect**_


	11. Month

**Gosh, how long has it been? All will be explained below, just hope you like it!**

**You guys can take this as an AU or canon, I didn't specify**

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**Rating: K**

* * *

**Month**

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When Petra first tells him she is three months pregnant, Levi is beyond ecstatic. He is silent, but his blood pumped in ears, and his hands become clammy as he stares at his wife, wondering what cosmic fluke brought her into this life to bring him such happiness. He could only embrace her tightly and whisper in her ear that she was going to become a beautiful mother, and damn him he was going to make his child proud. What he doesn't realize was how tiring the haul was going to be.

Month four is spent with Petra in the bathroom every morning with Levi holding back her hair and rubbing comforting circles on her back. She thanks him when she is finished, only to hunch over again to graciously begin vomiting all over again. Levi has nothing to do but quietly support her.

In the fifth month, the cravings begin. Some days they are reading together when she suddenly asks him to buy her flatbread, or they're be out in the streets when she claims she can smell meat that they eventually find four blocks away. She eats his share of food whenever they ate together, and he is forced to accept it. One night, she nudges him awake and adamantly says she is craving honey and bird's milk. Trudging out of bed, he goes to the nearest market that is open at that ungodly hour and purchases honey. When Petra doesn't see the bird's milk, she sobs horribly and locks him out of their room after demanding he brings her a spoon to eat her honey with. He spends the night asleep in his office on the couch.

Her moods fluctuate faster than Levi could count in the sixth month. One moment she is snapping at him to move away, the next she is demanding a kiss. She gets mad when he doesn't push his chair in, and yells at him when he does, claiming he should do it when she doesn't ask. Levi learns not to comment on her annoyance, instead doing as she says, reducing his anger to rolling his eyes. She is the mother of his child, after all. And mood swings, cravings and all, he still loves her.

Petra's stomach is swollen completely now, and most of month seven is passed with Levi's hand over it, listening to the baby's kicks. It fascinates him, and at nights, he marvels at his child's strength. At times, he murmurs things to it, inaudible things that Petra cannot hear because she is asleep, but Levi thinks he is teaching the baby things about the world. He can't be sure, but he does it nonetheless. He didn't know his father, but he thinks he didn't love him. It frightens Levi that he might not love his baby, or his baby might not love him. He promises himself he will be there for his firstborn no matter what.

Month eight takes him to lessons where he is taught how to take care of a new born child. Levi learns how to change diapers, make a baby burp, put one to sleep and how to hold one. Of course, it is all in theory, and in actual reality, the only useful information he gets out of the lessons is advice from other fathers who tell him to brace himself, get as much sleep as he can, and learn how to hold his breath when changing nappies. Levi doesn't realize how useful these advices are until the baby is born.

It's month nine, and Petra's water breaks in the middle of the night. She's unnaturally calm when she tells him, but it isn't until she doubles over in pain that Levi realizes she is very serious and the baby is _coming._ They rush to the hospital, and Petra is in labour for thirteen hours. Thirteen fucking hours and Levi is holding her hand and listening to her scream and urging her to push for every minute of it. No one would thank him; understand what he went through to make sure this baby was born. Fucking hell.

When he lays eyes on his newborn son, now wrapped and calm as opposed to his wailing, dirty figure hours ago, his heart softens. He stares up at Levi with curious wide eyes, mouth open in wonder, and Levi knows this is a life-defining moment.

'Is he beautiful?' Petra asks him, looked ragged and worn out in the hospital bed.

Levi nods numbly. 'He's beautiful.'

* * *

_**It's been forever, I know **_

_**I basically just misjudged time. After the operation there was exams and crap, and there was not a minute that I had to actually sit down and write something. I have other fics to update too, but this would be the quickest so I thought I'd get it out of the way.**_

_**Hope you guys liked it!**_

_**Love & Respect xoxo**_


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